Difference between revisions of "Livingson2006"

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(Created page with "{{BibEntry |BibType=ARTICLE |Author(s)=Eric Livingston; |Title=The context of proving |Tag(s)=EMCA; Mathematics; Proof; |Key=Livingson2006 |Year=2006 |Journal=Social Studies...")
 
 
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{{BibEntry
 
{{BibEntry
 
|BibType=ARTICLE
 
|BibType=ARTICLE
|Author(s)=Eric Livingston;  
+
|Author(s)=Eric Livingston;
 
|Title=The context of proving
 
|Title=The context of proving
|Tag(s)=EMCA; Mathematics; Proof;  
+
|Tag(s)=EMCA; Mathematics; Proof;
 
|Key=Livingson2006
 
|Key=Livingson2006
 
|Year=2006
 
|Year=2006
 
|Journal=Social Studies of Science
 
|Journal=Social Studies of Science
 
|Volume=36
 
|Volume=36
|Pages=39-68
+
|Number=1
 +
|Pages=39–68
 
|URL=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0306312705053055
 
|URL=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0306312705053055
 +
|DOI=10.1177/0306312705053055
 
|Abstract=Discussions of mathematical problem-solving and heuristic reasoning have typically examined how proofs that are already known might be found. This approach has at least three problems: first, provers engaged in discovering proofs for themselves cannot have this perspective; second, if a proof is difficult, formulaic strategies quickly run out; third, beginning with a proof already in-hand separates reasoning about a proof from the actual circumstances in which such reasoning occurs. As an alternative approach to the study of mathematical reasoning, this paper presents a detailed descriptive account of the work of finding a specific proof, including the shifting of perspectives, the wrong paths, the mistakes and the outright errors. Even the appearance of a sketched diagram or of a course of mathematical writing can suggest unanticipated possibilities for finding a proof. This material is used to illustrate the paper’s central claim - that the ways that provers go about working on proofs provide the context for continuing that work and for discovering the reasoning that a particular proof is then seen to require.
 
|Abstract=Discussions of mathematical problem-solving and heuristic reasoning have typically examined how proofs that are already known might be found. This approach has at least three problems: first, provers engaged in discovering proofs for themselves cannot have this perspective; second, if a proof is difficult, formulaic strategies quickly run out; third, beginning with a proof already in-hand separates reasoning about a proof from the actual circumstances in which such reasoning occurs. As an alternative approach to the study of mathematical reasoning, this paper presents a detailed descriptive account of the work of finding a specific proof, including the shifting of perspectives, the wrong paths, the mistakes and the outright errors. Even the appearance of a sketched diagram or of a course of mathematical writing can suggest unanticipated possibilities for finding a proof. This material is used to illustrate the paper’s central claim - that the ways that provers go about working on proofs provide the context for continuing that work and for discovering the reasoning that a particular proof is then seen to require.
 
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Latest revision as of 09:05, 13 November 2019

Livingson2006
BibType ARTICLE
Key Livingson2006
Author(s) Eric Livingston
Title The context of proving
Editor(s)
Tag(s) EMCA, Mathematics, Proof
Publisher
Year 2006
Language
City
Month
Journal Social Studies of Science
Volume 36
Number 1
Pages 39–68
URL Link
DOI 10.1177/0306312705053055
ISBN
Organization
Institution
School
Type
Edition
Series
Howpublished
Book title
Chapter

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Abstract

Discussions of mathematical problem-solving and heuristic reasoning have typically examined how proofs that are already known might be found. This approach has at least three problems: first, provers engaged in discovering proofs for themselves cannot have this perspective; second, if a proof is difficult, formulaic strategies quickly run out; third, beginning with a proof already in-hand separates reasoning about a proof from the actual circumstances in which such reasoning occurs. As an alternative approach to the study of mathematical reasoning, this paper presents a detailed descriptive account of the work of finding a specific proof, including the shifting of perspectives, the wrong paths, the mistakes and the outright errors. Even the appearance of a sketched diagram or of a course of mathematical writing can suggest unanticipated possibilities for finding a proof. This material is used to illustrate the paper’s central claim - that the ways that provers go about working on proofs provide the context for continuing that work and for discovering the reasoning that a particular proof is then seen to require.

Notes